If you want to keep the recycle bin functionality without having the stupid icon in the way, you can drag a shortcut to your quick launch bar. It still works just the same, shows full when full and you can right click and empty it. This is so you can avoid those rare OMG I JUST BALEETED MAH PR0N moments. If you don't wany any recyc functionality, just disable it entirely and remove the icon.
If anyone is super elite and can tell me a command line string that will tell the bin to empty itself so I can put it in as a linky on the desktop, I will love them forever and ever and ever.
Edit: Ulatoh, the links are way up at the top of the thread, ask me or anyone else for specifics when you run into trouble. And I think it should still work the same with 2k, it uses pretty much the same active desktop as XP. Under 98, if someone was still using that old thing for some reason, it requires some fiddling with the code.